For example, prolonged exercise depletes muscle glycogen storage and breaks down muscle tissue, which increases the risk for fatigue and immunosuppression (greater risk for sickness). Consuming carbohydrates and protein within ~30-minutes after a workout can help you build muscle, store energy, and minimize tissue damage. Unfortunately, nutrient timing is a confusing nutrition topic because most strategies conflict with the “healthy” nutrition advice given by experts regarding weight loss and management. As an example, a fitness enthusiast may be told to restrict dietary carbohydrates around exercise to lower insulin levels. This can help with fat loss. However, insulin is a powerful anabolic hormone and with the help of carbs, it plays a vital role in transporting amino acids, fatty acids or glucose from the blood stream into cells.
Although sport nutrition advice may appear “unhealthy,” implementing smart fueling practices around and during your workouts is critical for your health and performance. It can reduce the risk for sickness, fatigue and injury so you can achieve faster results, improving strength, speed or endurance, while staying consistent with exercise.
To help master nutrient timing, here's a simple nutrient timing worksheet that I created.
Simply fill it out the day before your upcoming workout(s) to plan out your pre, during and post workout nutrition. To save paper, you can laminate it and complete on a day-to-day basis with a dry-erase marker.